Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-09-26
How old Aunt Amanda Saved "a
Train in Indiana.


Within an hour of the tcuihle m'l.
way disaster at Chat-worth, Amanda
Barker. an aged ucgress. was walking
along the track Of the Cincinnati
Hamilton and indianapolis road, near
Glenwood. Ind, on hcr way to FARM
house, where she was to work during
the day. She bad iust passed the
small station &C. Glonwood, which Is B
lonely, dismal spot between Indian.
apolis and Conuer-Villc, frpQueutrd
only occasionally boy thc farmers lN.
ing around, when, on turning a sharp
curve in the road she wns hou.hrd
% see some distance ahead the smuul.
dcring remains OF what bad short
time before been stout substantial
bridge connecting omhanhmruts hHn
feet apart and spanning d chasm H'
feet deep The bridge bad evidently
been burning during tho entire night
for the .uper-tueture was entirely
eaten away hy the Gre. and only q
few weak timhers and the stone piers
were left.
The old ncgress could NOT collect
herself for several minutes. but bog
suddenly dawued upon her chat %
train passed that point some Time Boa
the early morning She know tbnt it
was d fast one and never stopped 90
Glenwood She turned hrr step.
backward, intending to hag Doe train
at the station, boat bad gone scarcely
hundred yards when she heard ihe
-hril scream of thc whistle. as sbr
Thought. directly ahead of her DC
was the cast-bound lightning express,
due at Glcuwood at a.i5 o'ciook
She tried as hard o. shr could i0 Rrt
around thc bend which uh-tuetei ihe
train from view, all thc Time tearing
and mggIng away at an old brown
apron which She wore, which she
wanted % u-e as signal dag
stumbling and falling rho was
kept hack considerably. but she hual.
ly broke the apron strings, whichue,-
a. seemed so tightly tied before, aud,
almost dropping 90 thc earth from
sheer exhaustion, she rounded thr
bend and saw the train laundering
down upon her only few hundred
yards away. The burning bridge was
about the same distance behind her
and she knew that to lrt tho train
pass meant certain death t0 many 0n
board Raising tbe improyisei nag
high above her head, sho forgot hpr
exhaustion and waved % fwut.oaIly
standing Ia the middle of the track.
where her presence could mot Rp un.
noticed.
For awhile IL seemed 90 bef Chat H0
one saw her, but shc kept her posl-
tion, determined 20 stop thc train 81
die on the track At last tho eug.n.
eer saw her aud reversed bIs engine.
bringing it to "a standstIIl "a frw yards
ia front Of the OLD woman Leaning
ont Of the cab window, and thinking
the negres- drunk or crazy, he called
out, "Woll, we'll, what p Itf
"For Gods sake, mister sbe au.
swered, "dout go any farther The
bridge j. burning down. and It H
right in front 81 sou indeed t Be-"
The train men bad by tA.s um.
been attracted % the front of tha
train by The stoppage at thIa oui-of-
the-way place. and, from the Hnn.U.
q ~ the old woman. believed Dove
story. A number Of them followed
hcr around the bend aud There tpfi-
Gcd the truth of bcr statement
An of the passengers wefe around
the spot in "a short while, aud when
they saw how narrow thrr escape
bad been they could scarcely peaa
a large purse was madf up fuI
their benefactnsa, bot sbe positively
refused 90 take auy money aud .ad
she was 10 happy to touch anything
that money would only make HaT
feel bad again. When fbe paaaru
gers were cougratulatug hanasItrs
on their escape thg oId negroes He.
came 80 happy uIat she buraf into
tears, and was 80 joyful for awhile
that she hugqed several ~ tlo Iad.as
AMI gentlemen aud danced an Oh.
fashioned iIg